Mazinaru, Tale of Friends
by Mazinaru
Summary: The story of Mazinaru the elementalist. Naraku takes everything from a young boy, will ge take it back in the end?
1. Chapter 1, Sensei

**Chapter one: Sensei - introduction**

Some time in the warring states era, approximately when Inuyasha is released from the god tree. Inside a very old training dojo Mazinaru now lives with his sensei, a master whom he had met many years ago when his mother had passed away.

Mazinaru's arrow flies into the target, perfectly in the center. An old but, strong looking man clapped as he observed the shot. "Perfect form as usual Mazi; it won't be much longer before I will be unable to teach you anything more." Mazinaru quickly replied "Thank you Sensei, but you know my skills as an elementalist are still very weak, I cannot seem to get past using the four basic elements." "Worry not my student, but continue your training all day today, I don't know if you will get the chance to train here again after today." The Sensei said as he walked inside the Dojo. Mazinaru was confused at his sensei's words, but decided to trust him and redouble his efforts, even moments after his Sensei left a flash of red could be seen as Mazi fired a burning arrow into the target.

Mazinaru was a young boy who manipulated the elements. Small in comparison to most twelve year olds but, because of long training he was strong and quick. Though unconfident Mazinaru holds the power to one day become a full elementalist and through his unique power one day find his dream. He continued to train with his elemental arrows until nightfall, when it was too dark to train safely and went into the Dojo to speak with his Sensei.

"Sensei" Mazinaru said while bowing at the door. "I want to speak with you about what you said earlier, why would today be the last day I may train here?" Sensei looked upset, maybe even scared as he stared blankly at the wall. "Mazinaru, it may even be too late, I must ask you to find another Sensei to finish your training." He finally blurted out.

"Sensei I don't understand, why is it I must leave you? You have been not only my sensei but my only friend no, the only person I really knew since I was a child…" Mazi said while beginning to become upset himself. "Mazi… Tonight he will arrive, the one that has caused you all this pain, and led you to me when he destroyed your village. He has been searching for you and despite my best efforts to mislead him he has found you here. He will kill you Mazi, unless you run, now before he arrives. It will not be long."

Mazinaru was shocked, he had completely forgotten about the demon; since he was only a baby when his village was destroyed he knew nothing of the events that occurred then, save what his mother had told him. Rather than talking Mazinaru simply sat down across from his Sensei and began to meditate, lighting the candle between them with his elemental skill. His Sensei knew exactly what he intended to do and knew that he could not change his mind.


	2. Chapter 2, Running Again

**Chapter two: Running again.**

Mazinaru and his sensei sit facing each other, both in deep meditation with a candle lit between them. Suddenly a very cold draft comes in as the door blows open, blowing out the candle and tossing the cut hair of the young Mazinaru. The figure of a man wearing an ape's skin appears in the door. Mazinaru and his sensei both stand up, completely synchronized, "I don't know who you are demon but I'm not playing your damn games." Mazinaru shouted spitefully. The demon merely laughed as he floated into the air and several strange insets emerged from beneath the skin. "What in the HELL is this!" Mazinaru shouts as he draws his family's short sword from the small of his back, igniting it in flame just barley big enough to stop the insects. "Mazi be careful to conserve your power!" Sensei shouted to Mazinaru. Mazi quickly ran towards the demon bringing his sword in line with the head to jab; however, Mazinaru finds himself thrown across the Dojo and through the back wall right into a tree, paralyzing him with pain. The demons barrier protected it from the attack as if it were only a fly. "Let us be demon!" Sensei shouted as he called fourth a fireball and hurled it towards the demon, the attack having about as much affect as Mazi's attack. The demon quickly reached out and grabbed the sensei by the neck, lifting him into the air and squeezing tightly; before Mazinaru could fully comprehend what was happening his master was dead.

"Sensei…" Mazinaru was hardly able to speak through the pain as he watched his sensei die to the monster, he knew the only way he was going to avenge his Sensei or his village was to do as he was told and find another teacher so he could become stronger. Using all the strength he could get - and a bit of his elemental magic too - Mazinaru ran into the forest going as fast as he could. The demon merely stood above the corpse and watched Mazinaru run into the darkened forest, for the demon Naraku was a patient one and knew it need not give chase; they always come back to him eventually.

Mazinaru ran as long as he could but, eventually his battered body gave up and he had no choice but, to stop and rest. The rain poured, the winds howled and the faint sounds of a nearby village faded to nothing as the young boy fell asleep from exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 3, Ferro, The One He Could Trust

**Chapter three: Ferro, the one he could trust**

Two days after Mazinaru watched his Sensei die to the one that destroyed his entire village Mazi passes through a village. Deciding he needs to take things slowly and make a solid plan he goes into a bar, even though he is still too young to drink. "What can I do ya for?" asked the bartender rather politely. "Huh? Oh, nothing thank you. I don't drink." "Well what are ya doin' here then?" The bartender said with a bit of a laugh that ended quickly.

"I just don't have anywhere else to go, now please stop asking questions; the less you know the better off you will be!" Mazi snapped at the bartender, getting the attention of the entire room as he stood up and left the building.

A few meters outside the bar a tall man with a red cloak catches up to the upset Mazinaru shouting: "Well what the hell was all that about kid?" "I'm not a kid and it's none of your business!" Mazinaru replied angrily. "Well I don't suppose you want a place to stay then? You said you didn't have anywhere else to go."

Mazinaru halted and looked as if he was beginning to calm down. "I'm sorry, your being kind and all you're getting back is rudeness. My name is Mazinaru, what is yours? "Feelin' better eh? The name's Ferro, I assume this means you accept my offer?" Mazinaru almost began to smile as he felt like this was one of the first people he had talked to for quite some time. "Gladly, Ferro!"

When Mazinaru and Ferro reached the home Mazi was quite surprised to see that it was literally nothing special. The house mostly comprised of old wood and looked as if a strong wind would topple it on top of anyone inside. "It may not be pretty." Ferro said as they arrived. "But it keeps the rain out!" As they walked inside Ferro took off his cloak, showing his rather skinny fame. Ferro is by no means the most muscular person but, he has obviously seen his share of rough times. While taking a seat on a small mat on the ground Mazinaru took notice of a necklace hanging on the wall. It was not a fancy looking one but, on the end was the emblem of Mazinaru's sensei.

"Ferro! Do you happen to know an elementalist who lives in the forest near here? Please be honest this is quite important." Mazi blurted out without thinking. Ferro quickly became serious. "You recognize that emblem Mazinaru?" "Yes!" Mazi said as he pulled his own necklace from under his tunic, showing Ferro the sign of his Sensei.

"Well this is a surprise, Mazinaru, are you a student of that emblem?" Mazinaru was surprised to hear that even though he had assumed Ferro was connected to his Sensei. "Yes, well, I used to be." "Used to be? Were you expelled? Ferro replied curiously.

Mazinaru became slightly upset again, remembering the scene of his Sensei being killed by the demon. "No... Sensei was killed only a few nights ago, by a demon that wore the skin of an ape." Now even Ferro was becoming emotional, not so much upset but angry. "Mazinaru, I too was a student of your Sensei, many years ago. And I know this demon you're talking about, his name is Naraku!"

Mazinaru stood still, amazed someone would be able to tell him the name of the demon from such a simple description. He had thought he would have to wait at least a month before he came across someone who knew the name so well.

"Ferro... Have you met this Naraku before? Or did you meet him the same way I did..."

"Mazi, I never actually met him." Ferro said through a sigh. "But, he is known around here because of what seemed like a random attack on one of our neighboring villages. I never believed it was random, not Naraku. There's also the fact that there was this one building that still stands today, over 14 years old and nobody can get close to it. But, what's really interesting is, all the land in the village is burned from the fire. Sure it's a bit better than it used to be but, the ground near the building is overgrown and unaffected."

Mazinaru stared attentively at his new friend and toyed with the thought that maybe the village Ferro was talking about was his. Sensei always refused outright if Mazinaru asked to see his home and it quickly became taboo near Sensei.

When Ferro was finished Mazi remembered his necklace and placed it back under his shirt, and asked if he could get some rest and food since he had not eaten or gotten good nights sleep since he ran away from the dojo. Feeling like he had finally found someone he could trust he ate and quickly nodded off to sleep on a mat Ferro had placed on the floor.

Meanwhile, in a dark, unlit room a strange light begins to shine from the center of the floor. On this floor is a square angled off the room so, it is shaped like a diamond. The square fills only the middle part of the floor and at each corner is a transparent sphere buried in the stone so that only the top part is above the ground. In the middle lies a fifth sphere, this one glows a dim swirl of colours. One of the four spheres lights white while the other three remain dark.


	4. Chapter 4, Dreams

**Chapter Four: Dreams, Opportunity and surprise.**

-

Mazinaru stood near a burning building, not knowing how he got there. Looking around he saw there were flames and corpses everywhere, suddenly a young mother ran towards him with a child in hand and her husband close behind. "Please help us, we must escape!" She yelled as she grabbed his shirt tightly. Before Mazinaru could respond the demon in the apes skin floated around the corner, the mother screamed and ran the other way but, Mazinaru recognized him immediately. The demon was the one who had destroyed his village, Mazi grabbed his sword and leaped towards the demon, screaming it's name in anger and hate but, before the blow landed; he woke up.

Mazinaru found himself still in Ferro's home, covered in a cold sweat. He was also somewhat confused as this had been the first dream that he could remember after waking.

"Have a rough night Mazi?" Ferro said with a concerned look. "My wall sure did!" Mazinaru looked at the wall across from him to find his sword firmly placed into it. "Ah! Well, uh, sorry!" Mazi blurted out, rather embarrassed. Ferro just laughed, "Don't worry about it, it's not the kind of thing you notice in a place like this. As long as you're ok everything will be fine." The two may not have realized it at this point but, truer words have never been spoken.

Ferro began to go about the house collecting various items. His staff, food and some other assorted items. "What are you doing Ferro?" Mazinaru asked as politely as he could. Ferro smiled as he replied "Gathering my things, I seemed to have gotten your attention when I spoke of our neighboring village yesterday so; I figured we could go visit it for awhile." Mazi saw this as his chance and grabbed his gear, after asking he also got some food and had a quick breakfast as he walked outside.

After about an hours waling the two reached the outskirts of the village. They were met with nothing but scorched ground and silence; Mazi standing with both his bow and sword at his back and Ferro using his metallic staff as a convenient walking stick. "Wow, I didn't think it would be so empty, you can literally see the entire village from a hill" Mazinaru said seeming ever so slightly upset. "This brings back memories of my early days with Sensei, arguing and asking why I couldn't come here. But, he would never say. Your right though, about the temple building, shall we go inside?" "Sure, no harm in a little exploring"

As the two got closer and closer to the temple building in the middle of the village the weather slowly changed for the worse, as if in anticipation of their destination. The winds grew stronger and the clouds had already dimmed the sun. The two pressed on, however; and eventually made it to the temple door.

Mazinaru felt like the building was calling him, he was sure now that this was his home. He quickly ran the stairs with Ferro close behind or, so he thought. When Mazinaru turned around to see where Ferro was he found him simply standing outside the grassy patch. "Ferro, are you not coming?"

Ferro had a rather confused look on his face as Mazinaru spoke. "Mazi, I can't go in there; in fact I don't know how you are able to go in there."


	5. Chapter 5, City of Life

**Chapter Six: City of Life.**

Ferro had just finished telling Mazinaru about the temple; how everyone that has tried to go in so far has been blocked by a strange barrier. It seems the only person that could enter was their teacher.

"So, only sensei could ever come in here?" Mazinaru asked, feeling bad because he wanted to explore the building with Ferro. "Yea, he must have left something that allowed you to get in because I have tried a few times and I'm always blocked."

"I really wanted to explore this with you though, you have permission!" Mazinaru began to raise his voice; he was quite disappointed.

"Look Mazi, it blocks me out - I can't." Ferro stopped talking as he put out his hand, watching it slide right through the purple barrier. Ferro pulled his hand back for a moment and then walked completely through the barrier, causing the usually transparent barrier to shine a dark purple and ripple like water around where he touched.

"Well, perhaps you are the one who really commands this building, tell me Mazinaru, do you recognize that sign over there?" Ferro asked as he pointed his finger to a sign above the door. The sign read, in very fancy print: 'Temple of Life'.

Mazinaru remembered stories about his village told to him by his sensei, stories about how his father was the leader of the whole village. The village was nicknamed the village of life because it seemed to endure any hardship, much of the time due to the elemental powers of the village leader. "Yes." He replied, deep in memory.

"Then it is as I thought my young friend, this is probably your village and, since whoever saved you knew to bring you to your sensei, you are probably its prince. That would explain why you can freely enter, and how I could enter with you."

Mazinaru thought about what he had just heard, his thoughts ran through scenarios of his rebuilding the village. He was after all, the son of the last known leader. The two walked inside to find only one large room that seemed rather small for the size of the buildings exterior. Ferro immediately began examining a tall altar in the center of the room while Mazinaru began reading from a tapestry on the walls. Ferro could feel the energies of the altar, assuming they were holding the shield Ferro stood to tell his friend about his discovery when he noticed Mazinaru was not in the room.

Mazinaru in fact, had found that the back wall was an illusion and had stepped through to take a look. Inside the new, smaller room hung a large tapestry that covered all three real walls; each wall seemed to tell a different part of a story. On the wall to the left the tapestry showed a prosperous city being burned with a large, glowing, shadowy figure looming above it. The far wall showed the temple but, both Mazinaru and Ferro stood in front in proud stances. Both looked exactly the same as they did at that moment, the same clothes, weaponry and even bruises. On the far wall there also appeared to be a lot left out, Mazinaru stood directly in front of the temple with Ferro to his right but, nearly eighty per-cent of the wall showed simple countryside despite the obvious focus on the two friends. The right wall was similar; showing a village similar to the one on the first part of the tapestry but, instead of burning the village was in perfect condition. On top of this the village was in the middle of a bright, sunny day and above it were Mazinaru and Ferro. Once again this tapestry had large amounts of unused space near the two.

When Mazinaru finished looking at the tapestry he remembered Ferro probably could not see him and walked through the wall again. The second he did he was standing just inches behind Ferro, who was obviously confused.

"Hey, Ferro!" Mazinaru shouted right into Ferro's ear. Mazi could not help but laugh as Ferro spun around, nearly falling flat on his ass. "Where in the hell did you come from!"

Ferro shouted angrily back. "I found another room; I think you should see this Ferro."

With that, Mazinaru walked back through the wall with Ferro following closely. The two took quite some time talking about what the tapestry might mean but, no matter what Ferro told him Mazinaru insisted that it must mean the village will be rebuilt under his guidance, and that Ferro was an important part of it.

Ferro eventually agreed to help Mazinaru; he thought to himself that it would be nice to get away from his current troubles for awhile. He had no intention of dealing with those shady people any more, they disgusted him.


End file.
